New Life
by KTPrincess
Summary: Luna after the Final Battle, de-aged and in the Gundam universe, searches for her older brother
1. Preperations

**NEW LIFE**

**Ch 1: Preparations**

"Good job Luna" I hear come from my right. I look over and see Neville standing there with pride in his eyes. His face is smeared with dirt and sweat. His hair is clinging to his head and he looks worn out. "Thanks. You too" I reply with a fatigued smile. I suppose we all are tired and ready for peace as I take another glance around the Great Hall. Everywhere I look is people from the DA, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Auror Corps helping others or congratulating each other on surviving the Final Battle. I see Madame Pomfrey (?) hugging a crying Mrs. Weasley who is mourning over the body of her son and attempting to comfort the living twin. I turn away at the sight and spot Harry being swamped by Hermione and Ron. I smile at that. I'm glad they are not severely injured. So many were or have passed on to "the next great adventure" as our previous Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore always called death. No one has been left untouched by this horrible war.

I make my way over towards the Golden Trio stopping on the way to greet members of the DA and any of the students that stayed behind to fight in my spacey way that I am known for. When I reach Harry, Hermione, and Ron they turn towards me with smiles on their faces even though they look dead on their feet. I give them a smile and look towards Harry. "The nargles are not hanging about your head anymore." I say with a faraway look in my eye. It is true though; the dark spirit that had been hovering over him was gone. Harry grinned at that while Ron looked at me like I really was loony and Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed a muttered "Honestly!"

"Good to see you're alive Mate" Ron told me and Harry brought me into a one armed hug before he was torn away by Ginny arriving and practically tackling him to the ground. They left to go snogg in some niche is my guess; or to console the Weasley's and then go snogg. Hermione gave me a smile before dragging Ron away to do the same. I grinned in their direction before turning away. I am glad that there is still happiness after all the grief that this war has torn in our small world. I start to hum as I skip out of the Great Hall. It is the last that we will see of each other, but I am glad that everyone will recover and that they saw me once more before I disappear so they don't think that I was killed in the Final Battle.

Once I am free of any spectators I break out into a run heading for the dungeons. I need to disappear in the post battle haze so no one will notice that I am missing before they can stop me. There is nothing holding me here in this world now that I have done my duty and the war is over. It is time for me to join my older brother. He is three years older than me and no longer lives on this plane of existence. Before I was born and when the war was at its fiercest my parents decided that it was not safe to raise a child in the condition that the wizarding world was in; even more so because Daddy runs a newspaper called The Quibbler and could be targeted for spreading the absolute truth to its readers. My Mama and Daddy decided to give him a new life and hope for a less dangerous world for him to grow up in. One that had no wizards. I found out through Mama's diary (that I have coveted since her death when I was nine and she died attempting to create a new spell) that they sent him to an alternate universe. They used a spell which I believe my Mama made herself and with a few alterations I have made it possible for me to travel to the same world that he is in and to the same city as well.

I duck into the Potions storage room and thank whoever is watching over me that there was no damage done here. I flip through the entire collection just glancing at the titles, aware of the time constraint that I am on. I am searching for any potions that will potentially help me in the world that I am traveling to. Hopefully some type of translation potion that will allow me to understand different languages other than English and Latin. I come across a potion titled knowledge. I look incredulously at it, but being the Ravenclaw I am I turn it over and read the explanation on the back of the bottle.

**KNOWLEDGE POTION:**

**This potion will allow the user to immediately understand and grasp knowledge that comes their way through spoken or written methods in a one week period of time and retain that knowledge. It will also potentially forever boost the user's ability to understand and grasp knowledge at a slightly faster rate than they did previously.**

My eyes are incredibly wide by the time that I finish reading the back of the potion bottle. This must be one of the extremely hard to brew potions and not well known otherwise everyone and their cousin would be taking it. I slip it into my pocket and continue my search because there is enough for one dose and it will be extremely helpful on my journey I am sure.

A half an hour later and I have thoroughly searched the shelves and there is no sign of any type of translation potion. I groan, this so won't be cool if I finally find my brother but I unable to communicate with him because we speak a different language! I make one last futile glance at the shelves before backing out of the potion storage room. Just as I turn to leave I slip and fall on the floor. I throw my hands out in front of me to catch myself so I don't sprain anything and land in a push-up position. As I situate myself on my knees to push myself back up I catch a glimpse of glass. I lean back down, pushing my cheek into the floor as I squint into the darkness underneath the shelf. There is a potion bottle down there! I reach under and pull it out.

The label is so faded that I am unable to read it in this dim light so I exit the room to the potions class room where there is more light to read it by. The bottle looks really old so I have to wonder what it could be. There, in a spiderlike scrawl is the words De-Aging Potion.

I gasp. That is a highly illegal potion! What on earth is it doing in the student potion storage room? I roll the glass bottle between my hands as I stare down at it contemplating what I should do with it now that I have found it. Should I use it or destroy it or leave it? I remember reading about it in the library one time when I was looking up potions that will temporarily or permanently alter or change your body or its appearance. It was quite interesting of a read, I will tell you that, and I got full marks on it from Professor Slughorn too!

The De-Aging Potion will render the user younger than they are. It will make the change permanent so if you change yourself on accident to a baby you would have to relive your life all over again. You are only able to take the potion once or there will be grave injury to your body and possibly death. The user literally becomes the age they wish. The body reverts to the size that it was at that time and you will come up as being that age no matter how someone tests you. The advantage to using this potion instead of a ritual (which is banned by the ministry as well) is that the user keeps their memories and personality as they were before they were De-Aged.

This could come in handy with my journey to the alternate universe that my brother now dwells in, I think as I look at the murky liquid sloshing inside the glass bottle. A child showing up is less suspicious than a teenager popping out of nowhere. With the right clothes and attitude no one would suspect anything and if they did they would just write it off because what could a poor innocent child do? Yes, this could work. If I don't heal myself and don't clean up and put on some old and used clothes no one would take me for anything but a neglected child that doesn't have anywhere to go.

The more I think about it the more I like the idea. If I play it right, then it would explain any gaps in my learning and knowledge base and with the knowledge potion I would be able to learn enough to get by until I find out everything about the new world I will be in. Definitely less suspicious than a 16 year old showing up with no history and no understanding of the world she lives in. That would absolutely raise questions! I break out into a smile as I race from the dungeons to the Room of Requirement.

As I reach the area in front of the Room of Requirement I pace back and forth three times while thinking about the room that I need to do my final preparations and then transport myself to my new life. An archway that reminds me of the one in the Narnia series appears and I grin as I enter. The room is spacious and perfect for my needs. The floor is padded so if either of the potions is painful I will not hurt myself anymore than the cuts, scrapes and bruises that I already have from the Final Battle. The walls are my favorite shade of purple and there is a chest full of what look like hand me down clothes in various sizes. My trunk is here as well. There is also a stack of books.

I enter and close the door. I ask Hogwarts to keep everyone from finding it until I have already disappeared from this plane of existence. I get the feeling of acceptance from her and I smile knowing that she will grant my request. No one knows, but I have a higher sense of awareness than most and that allows me to instinctually understand, or grasp, what is going on in a situation than others except those with exceptional training. I am on par with them and sometimes exceed them. It also has graced me with the ability to in a way communicate with sentient beings. Hogwarts herself is sentient because of all the years of magic that has been done in her halls and used to build and repair her time and again. I can feel her emotions and know if she agrees or disagrees in this way. This does not mean that I am an empath, because I am not, I can only do this with magically sentient beings or objects.

Because of my abilities I donned a mask that made me "Loony Luna Lovegood". This worked in my advantage because it hid my abilities from those who would want to be my friends to exploit them and it made everyone underestimate me. This was especially helpful in the war and I became the DA's best information gatherer because the enemy would overlook me when I was around and was not careful with what they said. I was able to gather much intelligence in this way that saved several students' lives and provided us with the necessary details to keep us hidden and safe. Becoming a child should not be difficult even when keeping up the façade of being neglected. Especially since I will potentially be able to start to let my Ravenclawness and true attitude and level headedness shine forth once whoever is taking care of me gets me to "open up".

I decide to look at the books first. "Yes yes yes!" I shout with joy when I read the titles. They are all various translation charms. I am giddy with excitement because this will allow me to cover the basic languages on earth that I have not mastered so that there is a better chance of knowing the language that my brother speaks. I eagerly scour the contents page of several books looking for the one that will be most useful for me on my journey. I finally come across one that should do exactly what I want it to. It allows me to not only understand what people say, but speak it and be literate in the language as well. An upside for this particular spell is that I will gain the knowledge of the language and so even when the spell wears off I will not have to recast it.

I ponder for a few moments which languages to choose. I already know English and Latin. English because it is the native language and what I grew up with and Latin because you really need it with all the spells are in Latin which means half or more of each textbook written is in that language plus many of the older tomes are entirely written in that archaic language. French would be a good one to learn, so would German. I determine. And then because of the business world (all good Ravenclaws keep themselves updated in these things and in the muggle aspects as well) I choose Japanese plus it would be really cool to learn.

I decide to apply the charm to myself after I am in my younger body because I don't want any adverse effects to happen when I de-age. For this same reason I decide to take the Knowledge Potion when I have been de-aged. I pick up the glass bottle that contains the murky De-Aging Potion. As I uncork the bottle I ponder what age I should pick. I have always been small for my size so it will not be hard for them to imagine that I have not had the proper nutrients for my body to grow with and that will enforce my appearance of being neglected. This will be further enforced with my skinniness and with a younger body my ribs will most likely show more. I have not been neglected myself, but this past year in Hogwarts has been hard. We may have had the secret passageway to get food but it could not come on a regular basis and so many times we all went without. I also had been kidnapped by Death Eaters and held hostage for a time and you don't exactly get regular full course meals while being forcefully held in their company. Combine all this with the cuts, scrapes, and bruises from the final battle and it will be no stretch of the imagination for anyone looking at me to jump to the conclusion of mild to severe neglect and possible abuse.

I sit on the floor and chug the potion. It tastes worse than it looks, and that is saying something. I scream as my body shifts and my bones and muscles contract and shrink. The pain is of the level of the Crutiatus Curse and I am praying to whoever it is that is watching over me to just stop the pain. I grit my teeth to keep myself from biting my tongue and ride it out. I know that it is necessary for what I embark to do. It feels like forever but is more than likely only minutes later that the changes stop and I am left gasping for breath on the floor as the pain recedes. It is several long moments afterward that I am able to steady my breathing and get up off the floor. My clothes are now swamping my body.

I call forth a mirror and am shocked at what I see. I look like I did when I was nine! Only, I am skinnier and will definitely look the part of a neglected and potentially abused child. My dirty-blonde hair is hanging down to my waist in a tangled mass. My eyes are as blue as ever. My cheeks are sunken in slightly and when I lift up my shirt I am able to see an outline of my ribs. I still have bruises all over from being knocked into and from the debris and spells that were flying all around in the Final Battle. It does not help that I had to throw myself onto the ground or into walls several times to avoid lethal spells. I have scrapes and cuts as a result of that as well, although not as many. My skin is definitely dirty and looks like I have not been given a proper bath in a while, even though it has only been two days since my last one. The Final Battle and the last minute preparations insured that I did not get one yesterday and I will not take one today because of the look I am trying to create. I look to be about 3 and ½ feet tall, or 106 centimeters; which is small for a nine year old. It is more the size of a seven year old child.

I gulp down the knowledge potion and it has no pain. I am thankful for this mercy. I then cast the translation charm. I will not know for sure that it worked until I am in the new world and have a chance to test it out, but I will keep my hopes up as the Room of Requirement has yet to lead me wrong.

I head over to the chest with the hand me down clothes. Now I need to perfect my outfit. I look through the jeans tossing aside ones that are too small or way too large for me and I am left with several ones that will not be perfect fits but will not hamper my movement. I quickly look at seams as I don't want to pick one that will fall apart on me. I finally choose a pair that has no tags or brand name. That is good because who knows if the stores are named the same? It is faded and the bottoms are much frayed and will be slightly long. There is a hole just under my left knee so it looks as if I fell and it ripped.

I move on to the shoes. I immediately toss out any that look like they could be expensive or are not running, tennis, or working shoes. I need them to be well worn and look as if I have had them forever and most likely got them from someone else who had them forever before me. I choose a pair of white sneakers. The sole is detaching in several places but not enough to cause concern. The laces are knotted at the ends to keep them from unraveling because the tips fell off at some point. Around the mouth of the shoe it is fraying and there are scuff marks all over. I ask for some blue thread and a needle. I patch up some parts where the seams are coming undone. I smear some of the dust and gravel from the fight that had fallen off my old clothes onto them to make them look like they have been constantly worn and not washed. I slip them on with bare feet and look in the mirror. Perfect!

Now I just need a shirt. I dig around in the chest for shirts. I toss out any that look nice or look like they were previously nice. I also throw out any that have logos or designs because I don't want to pick something that does not exist in the alternate universe. I finally settle on a grey short sleeve shirt that is only one size too big. It has stains on it and is threadbare but overall not in terrible condition.

Is there anything else that I need for my outfit? I sit back down on the floor to think. I am very un-coordinated in my younger body. I will need to work on that straight away. Ah! Yes. It may be cold there so a sweatshirt or jacket is needed. I think for a moment if I have any of my own that would work instead of raiding the chest again. After a couple of moments I remember that I still have the Ravenclaw hoodie that I received when I was sorted into Ravenclaw. That is still up in the Ravenclaw dormitories so I ask Hogwarts to retrieve it for my via the Room of Requirement. A couple moments later it pops up in front of me. I hold it up to look it over. It should work. It is a Ravenclaw Blue, but the edging is done in Ravenclaw Bronze. It looks newer than what I am currently wearing but it still looks worn. The edges of the sleeves are starting to wear and it has a faded look to it. I slip it on to see how it fits. Even though I got it when I was eleven it swamps me; although I am very small now. The hood goes well past my eyes and almost to my mouth if I pull it down all the way and the bottom of the hoodie reaches my mid thighs at least. It looks like some older kid gave it to me. That will work. Now I have something to remember Hogwarts by and it will fit for some time to come.

I step in front of the mirror again and I like what I see. All I have to do now is act the part and I am good to go! I turn to my own trunk to decide what it is that I will take. Unfortunately I can only take the essentials because I am acting as if I am neglected/ran the streets so I can't take anything of value and no pictures. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill. Although I am secure in my desire to swap universes to be with my brother, I will still miss this world. I shall miss Hogwarts and all of my material items that remind me of better times; of times spent with friends, searching the coasts for various creatures with Father, and the little things I remember doing with Mother before she died: like bedtime stories. There is no way that I can take any pictures of my parents or of friends so I take a couple moments to look through the pictures that I have laying around in my trunk and remember.

I take a deep breath and continue my search for what I will take. I have several messenger bags. My favorite is a dark blue knit tote, but I am afraid that it will be too delicate looking so I scrounge around my trunk to see what other ones I have. I finally happen upon one that I have had since my first trip with my father to find the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack. It is a canvas like material that is a dark beige. It is very plane looking and does not zip, there is a flap that folds over, but all the same it is sturdy, yet old, and will remind me of good times spent with my Father.

I continue looking. I would like to take something that shall remind me of Mama, yet not be too young looking or something out of place on the child I am trying to display. I finally decide on the bear that I got from my Mama at birth. She made it herself. It is about ten inches tall and made of a light blue fabric. The eyes, nose, and mouth is made of black thread. There is a midnight-blue length of fabric about two inches wide that has white and yellow stars on it that wraps around the bears neck and ties off in a bow. The bear has been and still is well loved by me and it looks that way. My Mama made me the bear when she was pregnant with me. The bear's name is Francis. That is my brother's name, although I am sure that it has since been changed as when Mama and Father sent him off he did not have any identification on him.

I slip Francis into my messenger bag and set the bag at my feet. I ponder what else I should take. I finally decide on asking the Room of Requirement for a half-loaf of baked bread that looks to be homemade. If anyone sees it they will either think I was given it when kicked out or that I stole it off some street vendor. I quench my thirst in this universe as I don't think it would be as easy to explain away a glass of water and I am sure that there are public restrooms somewhere that will have either a water fountain to drink out of or I can cup my hands and drink from the sink.

After all that I am finally ready to leave Hogwarts, and this plane of existence, once and for all. Once I do the spell there is no turning back. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. I am very calm by nature, but I find that this is getting to me. I close my eyes, count to ten, and steal my resolve. I open my eyes and they are full of determination. I nod my head and pick up my wand. I will snap and discard of it immediately when I arrive. I ask Hogwarts to help me in my casting of the spell and I chant it:

_Take mihi ut alius Universum. Qua EGO ero tutus. Take mihi ut meus cruor frater. Permissum mihi licentia is locus.*_

I am swept away with the unnatural wind that swirls around me. All that is left is the echo of a whispered goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I know that Luna has grey eyes in cannon but for this story she needs blue eyes.

*****Take me to another Universe. Where I will be safe. Take me to my blood brother. Let me leave this place.

I translated with Google, so if there is a better translation let me know please!

* * *

><p>Posted on: Jan 1, 2012<p> 


	2. Arrival

**NEW LIFE**

**Ch 2: Arrival**

In a rustle of dead leaves and forgotten trash I appear in the world which my older brother had been thoughtfully banished to. My head is dizzy from the travel and I sprawl to the ground after attempting to stand. I lay there for several moments practicing my meditation techniques in the hopes of making the dizziness go away and prevent a headache from occurring. Finally the dizziness is gone and there does not seem to be any signs of a headache. I once more attempt to stand and this time it is a success.

Leaning against the brick wall behind me I survey where I appeared. It is a dark and deserted alley that is lit only by the light of the Moon and the Stars above. It is cluttered with dead leaves that are clinging to the sides of the buildings lining the alley and there is trash scattered in the lane. I offer up thanks to whoever is watching me that I landed here and at night where there was less chance of drawing undue attention to myself.

I peer up at the Moon again, and judging by its position in the night sky the time is very early morning; at least a couple hours from daybreak. Studying the Sky reminds me of my favorite class at Hogwarts: Astronomy. I attempt to see if any of the star formations in this sky are the same as the ones from my old world. They are! So this leads my Ravenclaw mind to form a conclusion to my previous hypothesis that the world I have ended up in is an alternate universe, or reality, of my own and not some random world.

A smile breaks free on my face when I come to this conclusion. The reason is that if it is simply an alternate universe or reality in which wizards do not exist, then many of the muggle aspects should be the same. This means I will not be at a total loss as I was brought up in a mixed household of muggle and wizarding items, even though I am a pureblood. We (my father and I, and mama when she joined us before she died) needed an understanding of the muggle world when we went on hunting/discovery trips for various creatures.

I settle down in a shadowed corner of the ally. I decide that I might as well get a few hours of rest before I start my adventure. I am very tired from due to being held hostage, helping with preparations for the war, sneaking around Hogwarts, being a part of the Final Battle, and finally completing the spell that sent me here. Not only am I physically exhausted, but I am also exhausted mentally, emotionally, and magically. Thinking of magic, before I forget in the excitement tomorrow is sure to bring, I take my wand out of my messenger bag. Taking a deep breath I break it in half, and then break it in half once more before throwing the pieces in random directions in the alley.

I awake to the noises of the hustle and bustle of a city. Letting out a yawn I stretch and stand up out of my curled sleeping position. A glance at the sky tells me that the sun has only been shining for an hour or two. So it is still fairly early in the morning. I pick up my messenger bag from the ground where I had been using it as a pillow and sling the strap over my head. This makes it so that the bag is resting on my right side and the strap is over my left shoulder. Opening the flap I take a handful of the bread that I had stashed there. It is not pre-cut so I just rip some off. Munching on the bread I walk towards the mouth of the ally. By the time I reach the opening that feeds into the main street I have finished my handful of bread.

Leaning against the corner building I peer out onto the busy street. I take a few steps back to reclaim my refuge within the ally. I slowly slide down the wall until I am in a crouch with my head against my knees. I take several deep breaths. The reality of my situation has just hit me. I really am here. I really am one step closer to finding my brother. I focus on my meditation skills so that I do not hyperventilate.

After I have spent several minutes calming myself down I realize that I need to get into character. I need to weave the web of who I will be forever from today. I re-situate myself against the brick building to get more comfortable while I work this out. I already know how I would like to play it from when I was picking out my clothes. I want to be viewed as having been mildly to severely neglected. This will be the easiest to act as I don't have to remember to flinch or do anything like that as I honestly have no idea how to act that way. Acting like this will also give me the benefit of explaining away anything that I don't know and how no-one has known of me before.

A background story is next on the list. I need a good one too because chances are high that I will be questioned thoroughly and sneakily since, after all, I but a child. A fictional Mama and Father would be a good place to start. I think Father walking out on us when I was a baby would work. Although if they are still together, how do I explain my brother not being with us? Hm… I ponder this dilemma for a while. I pull out Francis while I am thinking in hopes of the familiar sight giving me inspiration.

I know… Father could not be a family man. He didn't want kids so my older brother was never brought home after birth. Mama didn't want to give me away as well when I was born and so Father left. I think it would be believable that she liked the idea of having a child more than the actuality of having one. This fantasy of hers would account for why I was kept for as long as I was. I think, however, that that is not enough and that something must be wrong with my fictional Mama. Otherwise, I can't see me being neglected, just ignored, if I had truly been raised by this persons hand; maybe drugs or alcohol abuse? I could always claim to have seen the needles, syringes, and other supplies around the house. Her being a junkie would enforce the thought that she was not in her right mind. This would easily explain why I was neglected and not sent to proper schooling.

I think that would be the best choice as there is no way that I can pass off as a street rat. The story needs something else though. I mean, I must get rid of this fictional Mama because I can't risk any authority trying to send me back to someone that does not exist. Maybe she died from an overdose? Although wouldn't that be recorded by the people in charge? But… maybe… yeah… if she always had a new 'boyfriend' around and they got in a fight that I heard when I was in bed, then it would be plausible that something happened to cause her death like overdose or murder or suicide, etc. If she worked under the table and did not follow the law, then who is to say that her death was reported? I could have easily been whisked away by whoever the guy was that was there, to ensure that I would not go and tell anyone.

This story sounds a bit farfetched, but sometimes the most plausible are. Plus, the world crawls with petty and messed up people, so what is one more child that shows up as a result of this kind of incident? Obviously after a certain amount of time the 'boyfriend' and his people got tired of taking care of me. They took me far away from wherever it was that I was being kept… I didn't know where… and dropped me off in the city with a letter explaining that I was no longer wanted and to not go looking for my previous guardians. It would explain why I am here alone and have spent time wandering about instead of going straight to authority.

I think that this would work. I breathe a sigh of relief and roll my neck to get out the cramps. I put Francis back in my messenger bag and check to see if my paper is there. I smile slightly as I see a folded up piece of paper. On it, back before I left my old world, I had written a short note with a dict-a-quill so that my handwriting would not be the one writing it. I am glad I took the precaution to write this in case I got caught by the authority before I found my brother because it would work well with my story.

_To whoever receives the kid:_

_We don't want her anymore. She's too much of a hassle, expense, and liability. Don't bother trying to return her. Her previous legal guardians are not among the living and we will not be held responsible to what happens to her if she comes back to us._

I thought that it was threatening enough to get the message of abandonment across and I am now glad that I had the foresight to write it.

Now that the issue of a back story is resolved I am ready to explore this world and gather information. I close my messenger bag up and walk once more up to the opening of the ally. As I take in the hustle and bustle of the city I mask my face into the look of an insecure, frightened child. I barely get a second glance as I walk through the crowds. When I do, it is either a pitying look or a sneer. I brush it off. No need to be effected by those that have no say in my life.

I have been wandering the streets for over an hour now. Everything seems to be more advanced than the muggle world back home, but the basics of everyday life seem to be the same and it just looks like technology has improved. People still are rude and self-absorbed, cars still crowd the streets, people still work. The technology has the same base as well. There are people typing away on laptops and chatting on cell-phones. I can definitely survive here without many complications.

As I pass by a hairstylist shop I can't help but over hear a conversation:

"…yeah the FRA is in place to stay apparently" "well, I'm not sure what to think about it" "Maybe it will do some good, you know, what with it attempting to reconnect families after the war" "still can't believe OZ got taken down by only a couple terrorists…"

The conversation continues in that vain for some time and I am clued into some important details that I will need to find more about. I hurry on my way when I start to get some weird looks for standing in one place for so long. I sigh, it looks like I will have to channel my Ravenclaw tendencies sooner than I thought so that I can fit in with this world a bit more. I mean: FRA, war, OZ, terrorists? I think a trip to the library… if I can find one and be let in…. is in order.

It is another hour of roaming the streets before I find the public library for this city. It is a rather large building and very imposing. I plaster on my patented Loony Luna look that I had perfected for Hogwarts: basically it makes me look innocent and like I am zoned out. It should be perfect for this 'mission' I think with glee. I am glad that I can integrate every part of me and slowly show it to the world this time instead of locking parts away.

I use all of my weight to push open the heavy library doors. When it opens finally I almost fall to the floor from the effort! I stumble in and the librarian glares at me from her desk. Huh, she reminds me of Madame Prince, although the glare could use a little work. I flash a small guilty smile at her and she relaxes her glare a bit. I suppose she does not relax fully as I am not dressed the best. I pay her no mind as I wander further into the Library and then towards the left where the nonfiction books are located.

Walking through the rows of nonfiction books I decide that learning some recent history would be the best thing to do first. I find news journals, magazines, and some books that relate to what I am searching for. I place them on the floor in a semi-circle and them plop myself down amongst them with my back against the bookshelf. I wiggle around to get comfortable as I might as well read about everything I will need to know where the books are located.

The Knowledge Potion is a life saver! Even with my natural Ravenclaw tendencies I am grateful for the help it provides. With the instant understanding I am able to get through books at a faster pace. I learn about the colonies, the wars, the terrorists turned heroes, the new Preventer organization, and much more. The news magazines and papers are great because they have the latest news. The world map is amazing because now I have a general idea on locations of places. I am careful to dissect truth from rumor, misleads, and falsities in what I read.

After several hours I come across one of the most recent developments: FRA. The FRA is Family Reconciliation Act. This is an entire program that is dedicated to reuniting family—especially war orphans—with living relatives. This must be what the people at the hair dressers were talking about earlier!

My face breaks out in a huge smile as I further gather information on the FRA. They collect your blood, run tests, and find out if you have any living family. This will do my work for me in finding my big brother! I am so excited, but I force myself to be calm. I need to learn more basic information before I show up because although I can do basic things in the muggle world like talk on a telephone or play music and I know how to blend in, I do not know much else.

I replace the materials I had pulled out and head off in the direction of the technology area in the non-fiction section of the library. I pull out a basic book on computers and settle down for another few hours of non-stop reading. When it is late afternoon I eat a bit of the bread I have in my bag and take a restroom break. I drink some water from the fountain to quench my thirst, smile again at the Librarian, and then go back to reading what I need to know to be caught up in this world.

It is dark out when I next look out of the window. The books are so fascinating that I lost myself in them and forgot to check the time. I look at the clock and notice that it is 20:47 (8:47pm) and realize that the library closes at 21:00 (9:00pm). I replace my books on the bookshelf and then glide over to the portion of the nonfiction area that is made for children and young teens. I pull one of the red bean bags over to a shelf and sit on it while grabbing a random book.

The book I grabbed is a picture book with a good amount of words in large print about the planets. After reading a few sentences I find myself intrigued as there is new information that I did not learn in my Astronomy class back in Hogwarts, like how Pluto is no longer a planet but a dwarf planet. After a few minutes I am finished with the book and I set it down. I might as well have a collection of books next to me when the Librarian finds me. That is what I am waiting for, actually. I want to wait for her to come and find me to kick me out. I figure that is the best way to let her see that I am not damaging the books and if I decide to come back again not to get kicked out.

I have read through over 10 kid books and am well into another one of a slightly higher level that has cartoons about the Gundam pilots when I hear someone approaching me. "There you are child!" She says. I look up from reading the very much watered down and Hero-ized version of the war book and see the librarian peering down at me. "Where you able to read all of these books?" she asks in part amazement and part doubt. I am surrounded by the books that I had read as I had not placed them back on the shelf yet. I give her a timid nod of my head. I don't think that she believes me though. She probably thinks I was just looking at the pictures, but that is fine with me. I don't have any reason to correct her thinking.

"Well, child, it is very late now and the library is closing. It is time for you to go home" she says in a softer tone of voice. I can tell that I have reassured her that I am not ruining the books or trying to cause her any trouble. She seems to have taken a slight liking towards me. In all due probability, most likely because I am being so quiet, have not disturbed her today, and appear to be very dedicated to reading the books. I look up at her for a moment before nodding my head once again and giving her another timid smile.

She smiles back at me slightly and tells me to go right on home and that she will take care of re-shelving the books for me. She asks if I need to call my parents to pick me up and seems slightly concerned when I shake my head no, but does not ask me any questions when I smile and give her a wave goodbye before walking towards the front doors of the Library which will lead me back to the streets.

When I am back on the street I look around. The Moon and Stars are once again giving me light to see by, however this time they are aided by the street lamps. I look up at my name-sake and give a smile. It is a full moon tonight and I can't help but think that that is a good omen of what is to come. I laugh a bit and start walking in a random direction. I need to find an ally that I am able to spend the night in. I believe that I have enough knowledge from my full day spent studying in the library to more than excel at the age that I am attempting to pass as. I already know math because of the Arithmetic I learned growing up and the Arithmancy and Runes classes I took at Hogwarts. I am very good at writing because of all the feet of parchment that were required to be written for homework. It is a must, good writing skills that is. History I am now well versed in because of the books, and I am well versed in technology now as well. Really the only thing I am lacking in is Science.

I decide to continue wandering for a while before I go to sleep. I would like to find a place that I got get my blood work done for the FRA system. From what I read, every major city has a Preventer building and the smaller cities have out-posts or one located near-by. This is a big city so it stands to reason that there is a Preventer building somewhere around here. If I can find it tonight, then I can go back there tomorrow and get entered into the system. It never told how long it would take for the system to find any relatives. I suppose that it depends on how many people are using it at once, so I would like to start my search for my elder brother as soon as possible.

It is about a half an hour later, as I am contemplating leaving my searching until the morning, when I stumble upon a large building. It has some store-front windows that look to be thick, and is a very unassuming color. There is a large logo and some words written on the windows. This is the Preventers building. I go a little closer. I can see several lights on, and the lobby still has its lights on. I wonder why everyone has not gone home yet. Maybe they had extra work or are open very late?

I just stare at the building for a while. I think that my younger body is starting to affect my reactions to things as I do not feel as emotionally removed from everything as I was back at Hogwarts. I also feel that I will be physically limited as well because already I am tiring and it is nowhere near as late as my normal bedtime was - although, this tiredness could also be the result of all the activities of yesterday and the buildup of previous activities.

I just stand in the sidewalk and stare up at the large building. One of my hands grips the strap of my messenger bag and the other crosses my stomach to clutch at my bag as well. I am beginning to feel emotions that had not earlier surfaced. As I dissect my feelings I come to the realization that everything is finally catching up to me and I fully understand just what is happening now. I am no longer in my world, the war has ended, I have learned a lot of new information, and I have a way to find my brother.

I am excited that I have a chance to meet my brother. I am worried that I will not pull my act as a nine year old off. I am scared that I will no longer be myself if I pull this off. I am relieved that I can start anew, be young once more and grow up again without the weight of helping my friend to save the world on my shoulders. I am intrigued to find out that I am merging with aspects of my nine year old self. I am grateful that I will not lose my memories, my abilities, or the core of myself. I think that what is most overwhelming, however, is my emotion of fright. I am frightened that when I find my brother that he will not want me. That he will toss me aside and will not care for me. I am even more concerned that I will not be able to find him at all.

I have been standing outside watching the building for a while now. My guess is over ten minutes, maybe longer. I have not been paying attention to the amount of time as I had been analyzing and sorting my feelings. I feel calmer now that I have done so, but I am a bit restless, tired, and confused as well. Not sure how that combination is possible, but apparently it is. I notice someone from inside the building coming out. I just stand there a watch. He is dressed in a blue uniform with the same insignia that is upon one of the buildings' windows. He must be a preventer agent then.

When the figure begins to approach me, I shoot a partly terrified partly helpless look up at him. He is very tall, towering over my small frame. Before the agent is able to ask or tell me anything I turn tail and flee into the night. I don't stop running until I am once again in an abandoned ally. It is not the same one that I arrived in, it is closer to the Preventer Building and is not as big, but it will do for the night.

Slowly I sink to the ground in one of the back corners. I take my messenger bag off of me and set down. I pull Francis out of the bag, glad that I brought an item of comfort with me when I traveled here. I lay down with my head cushioned on the bag and my arms wrapped tightly about my blue home-made teddy bear. I bring my legs up against my chest inside of the large sweatshirt and scoot around to be fully covered and warm.

As I close my eyes to the world for the night, I let out a breath of air in a heart-filled sigh. Ever so slowly silent tears creep down my checks, to just gently fall off of me. I cry for the loss of familiarity, for the separation of my friends, for the end of the second wizarding war, for the lives lost and those left alive to move on, for the loss of innocence, and the early maturity of the young. What I cry myself to sleep for, however, are the unknowns to come. The salty tears stain my cheeks in the wonder I hold for gaining a new life, a new chance, to learn and be and best of all: for the opportunity to find and know my remaining family. My brother.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Well, this is the new chapter. Thank you to those who have reviewed so far! Is there a preventer logo? I know there is a preventer badge…

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><p>Posted: 5 January 2012<p> 


	3. Meeting a Preventer

**NEW LIFE**

**CH 3: Meeting a Preventer**

The world is still asleep when I wake up. The sky is just beginning to change from night to day. Everything in the sight of the rising sun is bathed in the hues of pink and red. I lay on the ground where I woke for several long minutes. Taking my time to fully wake, I am surprised at how well rested I am. I feel as if a weight has been taken off of my shoulders. This must be the result of me finally analyzing and accepting my emotions. The crying jag last night probably helped.

Slipping my legs out of my large Ravenclaw sweatshirt I sit up and put Francis back into my messenger bag with a smile upon my face. Soon I will find my big brother; the original Francis, although his name has most likely changed.

I shake my head disrupting my thoughts and making my dirty blond locks go flying. I run my fingers through my hair to detangle and unknot them to the best of my ability. After doing this several times I believe that it is the best that my hair will look without a good washing and a brush. Swiping my face with my sleeve I hope to have erased the evidence of the tears that fell last night, unfortunately I fear that I only left mud streaks instead. I suppose that that is one step in improvement. I stand up, dust myself off, and sling my messenger bag over my shoulder. The sun's rays are getting brighter by the minute and the world is coming alive. I decide to start my day and get an early start.

As I walk out of the ally into the bustling streets I take out the last of my bread. There is only a handful left. I eat it slowly to make it last longer and in an attempt to trick my stomach into thinking that I am feeding it more than I really am. I learned this trick over the last year during my trials at Hogwarts and when I had been kidnapped. It will not fill me up by any means, but it will stop my stomach from growling its protests for a while. By the time I am within visual sight of the building my bread is no more.

I pause on the sidewalk that is in front of the Preventer building. In the light it seems bigger and more ominous then it did last night. I suppose because it cannot fade into the darkness anymore or maybe because of the absence of the soft light glowing from the lower level windows. It is intimidating and I hesitate to take the next step towards it. No, that is not quite true. I have seen far scarier places than this like Malfoy's dungeons. What is making me stop is my want to stall. Although last night helped, I have many emotions that are coming and going and one of the big ones is my being unsure: unsure of what is to come.

I stand looking up at the building, much like I did last night. This time, however, my emotions are less chaotic and more focused. I am unsure, a bit frightened, and very much excited. I know that once I step through those doors my act will be put to the test and I will have to fully merge myself into the character that I will not just play, but become. Determination comes to the forefront of my emotions and urges me to take the first step forward. I hesitate for a moment, not quite ready to take the step that signifies a total release from my old world, before surging ahead.

I slowly walk towards the building, but I am dragging my feet and lost in thought. I am startled by a person approaching me. As the person draws nearer to me his huge form suggests it is the same Preventer from last night. He must work the night shift, as I was here late last night and it is just dawn now. He looks less forbidding with evidence of exhaustion upon his face and weariness to his step. I pause and wait as he approaches me. I must act like the child I now am, after all. I think that he is trying not to scare me off again, as this time he slows his steps.

The man drops his duffle bag to the ground in front of him when he is but a few feet away from me. Crouching down next to it, he unzips and pulls a rectangular object out of it and tosses it my way. A chocolate candy bar smacks the pavement in front of my feet. Our eyes meet. Is that pity in his eyes? I stare for a moment longer before I bend down, snatching the object that has caught my attention. All the while I keep my eyes on his looking for any signs that I need to bolt. He tilts his head, motioning to the curb, and goes and takes a seat.

Fumbling thru his bag he produces a can of soda and sets in on the curb as well. An arm length away from where he sits. Staring at the soda can I realize that this is the moment in which I must decide if I should show some trust or if I should bolt. I think that the child I am becoming would show the trust and take the soda can. The man must have sensed my inner 9 year old turmoil as he scoots further away from the object in question.

Cautiously I approach the can, keeping my eyes on his form at all times. Shoving the bar of candy he gave me earlier in my bag so I do not lose it, I snatch up the soda can. I then jump a few steps back and away from him. I congratulate myself on my acting as I notice him give a small nod to himself as if confirming a theory about me. I am fully in character now, and I think that the merging process of my old self, my new self, background story, and nine year old body is well on its way. I believe this because I am starting to react like the nine year old I am attempting to portray. I am glad because it will help me now and as I grow older in this new life if I immerse myself and do not react and act as if I am older than my physical age.

The man takes out his own half-eaten candy bar from his bag and starts to eat it while looking at the cars that are starting to rumble down the road as rush hour is approaching. He sneaks a few glances at me as I observe him. He doesn't seem like he will be getting up soon so I slowly sink to a crouch. This lets me get a bit more comfortable, but also allows for me to bolt if I need to. With small, deliberate movements I pop the top. I bring the lip of the can to my mouth, watching for any malicious intent in the older man. When no such emotions appear on his face I tip the can and feel the fizzy muggle drink pour into my mouth and glide down my throat. Thankful to quench my thirst I offer a small smile to him in thanks.

"Name's Alden kid. Want to talk?" the man asks with a lukewarm timber. I shrug my shoulders a bit. I have decided to play it safe and just not talk. The man – Alden – just nods his head in apathy. After a few moments when I am not any more forthcoming, Alden says "Playing your cards close to your chest, huh, kid? Gunna make me guess?" He continues, "Saw you glancing up at the building, trying to work up the guts to go in?" I stare at him for another moment before deciding that I can trust him a bit more. He has been trying his best with me so far, and has not betrayed the trust I have gifted him with yet. Still in character I give a slight jerk of my head in agreement.

"I'll walk you in." I glance at the building and then back at him. "Want to tell me why you want to go in?" Alden asks me. I shrug my shoulders. "Huh, the guessing game again kid?" I shrug my shoulders again, this time with the beginning of a slight smile at the corner of my lip. Alden is growing on me, I like him. He seems to take the slight twist of my lips upwards as motivation to guess. "Have someone to see in there?" I shake my head no. He slowly gets to a stand. "Walk with me in." Alden says as he takes a couple of steps away from me towards the building.

I think to myself that this is another one of those times, a moment that I will make a big decision. He is not too pushy for answers and I like that. I take a big breath and I get up out of my crouch, falling into step behind him. As we arrive at steps, I reach out and give a quick tug on his duffle bag before pulling my hand back close to my side. Alden looks down to me in question. "Uh, mister?" I ask in a hesitant voice, "I need to find my brother."

"Well, know, I think we need to find a bench so you can tell me your story. Before we go inside and involve the authorities." He points to the side of the building and says "come on, there are benches over there." I give a forward jerk of my head in response and follow him. I continue to watch him as I trod behind him in his footsteps. Alden holds strong in his opinion and is nice. He seems to genuinely want to help me. I come to the conclusion that I am glad that he is the one to have approached me and not someone else. I smile a bit more. Hopefully he can help me find my brother, and if not, at least point me in the right direction.

We sit down at the bench. There is still space between us, although not as much as there was when we were at the curb. I take a deep breath, in preparation. All the while, my mind is racing, trying to figure out just what I should say, and how much I should say, of my newly developed background story. Chewing on my bottom lip, I ponder while Alden waits patiently. "Take your time, kid. I got all day." He chuckles "since I work nights."

I give a tentative nod and smile at those words. Oddly, I find them reassuring. I release the breath I was holding and take another one. I do this partly to calm my nerves and partly because I ran out of oxygen with which to breath. "I need to find my brother" I state quietly. I see him acknowledge my statement with a tilt of his head. I stay quiet and stare at my shoes as if they are the most fascinating things in the world. I have decided to let him lead the questions, this way I will not reveal any unnecessary information and I can better keep track of what I say.

After a few moments when it becomes apparent to him that I am not going to say any more he gives a little hum. "Why don't you tell me a bit about your brother, kid?" he asks kindly. I evaluate him out of the corner of my blue eyes. I have not been around him for long, but he appears to genuinely care for my well-being. I have come to this world with the sole purpose of finding my older brother. I have an opportunity to do so here and all it requires is for me to give him information. Alden seems like a trustworthy guy from my observations thus far. I lower my eyes back to my shoes and answer his question. I will trust him with enough to locate my brother.

"He, um, my brother… well, my brother is older than me" I stammer out. Think like a scared kid, think like a scared kid. I chant to myself over and over as I divulge my information. I have felt myself further integrating with my new body and it's younger emotions, so acting so is no longer as much as an act that I am putting on. I am glad. "Um, well, I haven't seen him in a while… I gotta find him though… he…" I trail off and look at him imploringly.

"Alright, kid, well that is at least something to go off of. Hmm, I don't think I've found out your name yet!" he says and chuckles a bit more. "I can't quite keep going around calling you kid, now, can I?" I give him another slight quirk of my lips which seems to brighten his smile some. I give another tentative nod; I seem to be doing a lot of those. "I go by Luna" I offer as I ponder what the next step will be in finding my brother now that I have drawn the fact that I am not with him but need to be to his attention.

He responds with a reassuring smile in my direction and the words "Luna, a nice name to be known by". I am not sure if he believes that to be my name or not, but I am glad that he took me at face value and is not pushing for a last name. That is something that I am unable to divulge to him. It is much easier to track people with by a family name than by a first name and I do not want to be handed over to a family that I do not know that may possibly share the same last name as me. Plus, this way, it should require blood work to determine any living relatives that can be contacted.

As if Alden is just realizing something, he asks another question. This one, however, is loaded. "Luna, does your brother have custody, I mean do you live with your brother?" How to answer this one? If I say no, then he may not believe that I actually have a brother, however if I say yes, then that will cause problems when we finally find him. What to do? I stare at my shoes some more as I go through all of the pros and cons to my possible answer. Finally I remember that I have the note that I wrote before I left for this world in case a situation arose that I would need one. I think back to it and attempt to remember what it says exactly without bringing it out to read it. That would be suspicious for sure.

It went something along the lines of my previous guardians are dead, I am a nuisance, and not to return me as I am not wanted. I mentally go over my back ground story and what I have told the man – Alden – so far. If I say that I need to find my brother because he is supposed to take care of me now, but I don't remember the proper information, that should work. The letter will get me blood work at the very least; I am sure, even if my explanation about my brother is not believed. Once the blood work is done then I don't have to worry about explaining my need to find my brother as the only living relative to come up in the system will be him anyway.

I slowly shake my head no in answer to the question that Alden posed. I watch discreetly as his eyebrows draw down together in confusion. "I am to find him because I am supposed to live with him now" I state as if that explains everything, and to a nine year old, it would. His facial features relax slightly with that information, although I can still see the concern swimming in his eyes when I make eye contact for a split second. I can almost see him analyzing my response and finding anything wrong. He truly does make a great Preventer agent. "Why are you not with your brother now if you are to live with him?" he adds in a joking way in attempt to prompt me "Did he get lost?"

The moment of truth; well, it's really fictional, but I suppose is my new truth for my new life. "No, he doesn't know about me" I say quiet like. I realize too late that that will bring more questions than answers and that I should have worded my answer differently. In an effort to do damage control I attempt to cover my slip and say "No, he doesn't know about me going to him yet" and hope that he focused on those words instead of the ones uttered before. I can tell, though, that he has not fully released them from his mind, however, as it is becoming more obvious that he is calculating what I am saying. "Were you told how to find him? What about who you lived with before?" he questions me softly.

I reach into my messenger back and shuffle around in it a bit. The letter is below Francis, and for some unexplained reason I do not want Alden to know about my stuffed bear, so it takes me a bit longer than it should to find the slip of paper. I pull it out and clutch it tightly in my right hand. I give him a glance and I notice that his attention focused on the note. His eyes are once more swimming with concern and this time a hint of trepidation as well. I wonder what he thinks the note says to garner such a reaction, and if he has come across abandoned children with notes before.

I slowly reach my right hand over to him and place the letter in the large hand that rises from Alden's lap to accept it. I nibble my lower lip with my teeth as I watch him unfold the letter. I pray to whoever is watching that my letter works. Luck seems to be with me today as Alden nods his head like the nasty letter is an everyday thing and explains everything. The letter, I suppose, does – not the everyday thing, but the explanations for my guardedness and non forthcoming answers.

"Well, kiddo, I have a girlfriend that works in there" Alden says in what seems to be a random topic. I look at him with confusion written across my face, wondering just where this is leading. "Her name is Kadi and she is a real sweetheart. She works down in the labs and I am pretty sure that she could help us out in finding your big brother. What do you say?"

It is not much of a choice, really. I need to find my brother and he has the means which happen to be in the form of his girlfriend Kadi. I whisper my response "alright" back to him. Hopefully, she will be able to perform the tests soon and I can be another step closer to finding what I am searching for.

Alden stands up, tossing his duffle bag across his back once more, and looks at me in an inviting manner. "Come along then Luna, I have found that there is never a time to do things like there is in the present" he says with a smile gracing his face. I give him a slightly wider smile than I have yet to give him and slide back down off of the bench and onto the ground, taking my messenger bag with me. I once more follow in his footsteps as we walk towards the entrance of the imposing Preventer building.

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><p><strong>AN:** I am sooo sorry for not updating sooner! I have been super busy with school and a whole bunch of other stuff. I will try to be better! Ok, so I am not sure about my ending for this chapter, but it works for the start of the next chapter. Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed my story! I love reading comments about my story. Please continue!

Um, I realized that I have not done any type of disclaimer yet, but I kindof figured that since I am writing fanfiction and it is known as fanfiction that everyone will understand that I don't own Harry Potterr or Gundam Wing. In case that wasn't common knowledge: I don't own them, I never will, and I am deffinately not super rich and famous (like I would be if I did own them) so don't sue me! Glad that's out of the way.

Please let me know what you think, and hopefully I will be able to update in the next week or so!

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><p>Posted: 03 February 2012<p> 


	4. Meeting Kadi

**AN:** Hey everyone! Thank you for all of the amazing reviews that I have gotten! Sorry for not updating sooner, but my life has gone crazy! I figured since this is my birthday week I could take some time to post something. Sorry about how short it is, I would like to keep my chapters between 3 and 4 thousand words, but I just have not had a lot of time lately to write. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>New Life<strong>

**Chapter Four: Meeting Kadi**

I walk into the Preventer building with my game face on. My eyes dart everywhere, trying to take everything in at once. The stiff hardback chairs lining the walls, the stern lady behind the counter overseeing all that goes on in her "domain", the men and women dressed like my companion that determinately walk about, the doors that lead to somewhere, and even the stair case that is in the far left corner does not escape my evaluating eyes.

I give an anxious glance up at my companion Alden and attempt to make my body smaller, more hidden, and less of a target. I truly believe that my story has become a reality for this body and my childlike emotions have combined with my original as acting has become much less difficult and more natural and thoughtless.

Alden must have noticed my discomfort because he flashes me a reassuring smile before leading me to the stairs that I had previously noticed. I stay silent and reattach my small hand to his duffle bag as we descend the stairs. As we walk down the concrete slab stairs the natural light that lit up the welcome room has morphed into the occasional flickering of artificial light.

I do my best to keep track of where we are going (right, straight, go through room 441 which is really a hallway, take a left) but soon I am lost in the maze. I am unable to even follow the route we are taking by paying attention to the room numbers because they are not in order. I have passed rooms labeled 256, 441, 18, 63, and so many others and none of them are in any semblance of an order.

My war trained analytical thoughts come forward at this point and begin to analyze Preventer HQ. As I walked around, meekly following Alden, I noticed the setup of the rooms. I realized the maze like quality they made the inside of the building before I switched my viewpoints, but now I see the advantages it has. It is well designed for confusing invaders and guests. With how it is setup it will discourage invasions and any that happen will be less likely to succeed. My eyes once again start scanning my environment, similar to how they did upstairs, and I notice again how well designed the building is. One thing I take in is the security cameras and their placement.

I am jolted from my thoughts by Alden coming to a stop before me. "Hey Kiddo, this is where my girlfriend is… she is nice, ok?" he asks me in an upbeat yet soothing tone. Waiting until I gave a hesitant nod in response, he continues "Cool, well we are going to be going in here and there might be more than just her, but you can ignore anybody else, yeah? You will probably have to answer some questions and there is a good possibility of some blood drawn" he hastened to add "not much!" as my face rapidly paled at the mention of spilt blood.

It has not been a full 48 hours that I have been removed from a war zone. It is only natural that the mention of blood sends my thoughts racing to the horrifying memories of spilt blood of the battle field and the carnage that was the result.

I return to the present by the calm rumbling baritone of the man before me speaking to me. When I am once more fully aware of my surroundings I notice Alden peering intently down at me with a look of concern and something else upon his face. I flush a bit as I realize that I had spaced-out, held captive by my memories. I know now that I will need to find time soon to come to terms with all that has happened. Although I have come to a new world and started a new life, I must face the horrors of my past so that I can move on and fully immerse myself here. This is where I becoming younger and having a made-up back-story will come in handy.

Scrutinizing Alden's face I recognize the emotion that I could not read before as being suspicion. I know – rationally – that he cannot have any idea why I reacted thus to the mention of blood being taken. However that does not lessen he immediate fright response that I am now having due to my merging with my younger body has given me. It is like I have a frightened voice of myself in my thoughts screaming that Alden knows what I am thinking. Analyzing the situation further I come to the rational conclusion that he just believes that my blood must have been spilt in the past. This would lend more credence to my hints at an abusive background. I don't correct any conclusions that he may have drawn on his own as they will only more firmly make my back-story more believable.

I flash Alden a small questioning look. He clears his throat and continues on where he left off. Pretending, for what could only be my benefit that the last few moments did not occur. "Well, it will be taken so that we can put it into our system and find out contact information and see if anyone had found your brother. How does that sound, hm?"

I look at him for a moment longer before slowly nodding my head, not letting any of the excitement and trepidationthat I am feeling show on my face in response to the fact that I am so close to finding my brother. As I am led into the room I can't help but wonder what my brother is like, if I look like him, and what his name is. With this train of thought I bring my messenger bag closer to me, linking my previous thoughts to my bear named after his birth name: Francis.

A young pretty lady comes over to greet my companion once we are further into the room. They give each other a quick peck on the lips before turning towards me. She has dark brown-black hair that is streaked with blond and golden brown highlights. She is much taller than me, but is a couple of inches below Alden's height – the top of her head is level with his nose. Her skin is a beautiful Sunkist golden brown. She is wearing a uniform as well except hers is in pastel versions of the colors and has an unfastened stark white lab coat thrown over the top. She is openly eyeing me in confusion, concern, and interest. She turns back to her boyfriend after raking me over with her eyes and raises an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Kadi!" Alden exclaims with a smile on his face "Meet Luna. We need a work up done for the young lady. Please notify me if there are any matches in the FRA system. We need to find her older brother" At this Kadi nods, a concerned look overriding her features, and turns to me. Holding out her hand she says with a smile "come along! Let's put you up on that bed over there and get this started, alright? The sooner we start the sooner we can find that missing brother!"

I stare at her blankly for a moment before turning to look at Alden questioningly. I am supposed to be nine years old, it would stand to reason that after what my life supposedly has been thus far I would not just immediately lose my natural distrust, shyness, and previous behavior. Plus I really don't want to touch anyone. I am not ready to be so close to people I don't know and those who I wish I could snuggle with are gone.

Alden seems to get the message because he squats down to my level and speaks "what's up kiddo?" I give a nonchalant shrug in response. In turn, he gives a sigh "back to the guessing game again Luna?" he says with the making of an understanding smile twitching his lips. I suppose with how much he has said that to me since we met, he is starting to expect my behavior. "Why don't you go get comfy on one of those beds over there? Kadi and I will be there momentarily." I nod my head and back away towards the bed that was pointed out to me by Kadi earlier.

I do not turn my back on them. I have learned through experience to never leave myself vulnerable. With all that has happened, and in such a short timeframe, I cannot yet put those teachings that have been ingrained into me aside. As I reach the bed I climb atop and sit down cross-legged. This sitting position reminds me of when I would sit like this and my mom would say "criss cross apple sauce!" The memory invokes a small smile upon my face. I wish with all of my being that when I finally am with my brother, I can create new happy memories with him.

I look around the room. I can tell that it is a lab, but it must also double what must be their version of a healing hall. There are a lot of what looks to be lab equipment, machines and exam tables, but there are also some more beds than the one that I am on lining the wall and there are privacy curtains at the ready. Everything is either the color of sanitary white or stainless steel. Alden and his girlfriend Kadi are still over at the entrance chatting. I know they are talking about me, and although I am curious as to what they are discussing, I am not overly concerned as I know that there is not much that I can do at this point.

Sitting peacefully on this bed is making my lack of sleep catch up to me. I am starting to feel lethargic and my eyelids are drooping. Alden and Kadi don't look like they will stop their discussion anytime soon, so I decide that I will take advantage of the bed that I am on. Without getting off of the bed, I slip the covers out from under me. There is a sheet and what looks to be a finely crotched blanket. They are both white, as is the thin standard pillow. I blissfully crawl beneath them and tuck them tightly under my chin. As I begin to drift off I feel homesickness kick in and the beginnings of nightmares creeping into my thoughts. I take a glance over at the adults and seeing that they are busy, I open my messenger bag. Taking Francis out and cuddling him to my chest, I once more burrow into the blankets. Drifting off, I hope that Francis can keep the nightmares and homesickness at bay.

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><p>March 5th 2012<p> 


	5. Waking Up

**AN:** Sorry sorry sorry! Please don't kill me! I didn't mean to not update or write for so long... life and school just got their hooks on me and would not let me go! I promise to do better this time :D

Ok, so this update is only 1,600 words or so, and it is really short for me... but I did not want to leave you hanging much longer, and I wanted my beloved readers' input on where to take the upcoming conversation between Alden and Luna. Please Review/PM me with your ideas! I was planning on doing another 1k words in this chapter, but decided to leave it like it is and pick up where I left of in the next one.

My Reviewers: THANK YOU! I know that it has been over a year since I last posted, and I am quite apologetic about that, but you have been persistant with PMs and Reviews and have given me the inspiration to get my but in gear and write when I finally had a down moment to do so! Please, please, please continue to review! What you give me becomes the life blood of the story... and keeps me focused and writing! I can take it, don't worry! So unleash your complaints and compliments, dish out your critiques, tell me where you want this story to head! I would love for constructive help in both my writing abilities and the story line, and I'm not about to cry and pitch a fit over what you tell me! It can't be worse than what all of my teachers have harped on me over the years :D

Read and Review!

Hope you like it :D

KTPrincess

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><p><strong>New Life<strong>

**Chapter 5**

It feels like only seconds have passed when I startle awake. During my nap I have curled around Francis in a fetal position. Blinking the sleep from my eyes I survey my surroundings unsure as to what the situation is, I resort back to learned behaviors – and I have found playing possum allows one to gather otherwise unobtainable information sometimes.

My eyes clouded from sleep take in the stainless steel and bleached white of the large room. Any doubts I had that previous events were but a figment of my imagination have been swept away before given the chance to form. Glancing toward where I last saw Alden and Kadi I notice that the door to the hallway is closed and they are not in my line of sight. I relax a bit as I don't have to stress over them watching my every move. Keeping in mind the strategically placed cameras, I do not let my guard down completely.

I sit up and scoot back until I am leaning against the wall with the thin pillow as a cushion. Surveying the room once more, I take in all the details I missed when I was looking only for threats and exits. I am surprised anyone can stand to work in such a color-less environment. I need the bright and diverse world of color to live, it gives me a sense of freedom and helps me connect to my surroundings. Mother Nature gifted us with diversity – why make everything the same? I nearly cringe at the uniform look and I have an overwhelming desire to take a paintbrush to the walls.

Thinking over my thoughts I realize how easily distracted I am being. While that is not uncommon for me, it is a bit excessive and fixated on color. Hermione would probably cite a thousand reasons for it… My brain stutters to a halt with the partially formed thought… Hermione… My friends, a new world, a new life….

Once more realization sinks further into the depths of my mind. Reality crashes down around me as for the first time I have had enough sleep and time to assimilate everything that has happened in the last 72 hours, in the last year. The initial acceptance yesterday has combined with my new knowledge of this universe, having mostly caught up with sleep, my first major encounter with someone in this new life, and the now tangible possibility of finding my brother. I feel like a 1000 piece puzzle has just had its final piece clicked into place.

Everything that I had accepted on the surface has had enough time to sink in and become reality. The highlights of my time in my old world flash before my eyes like one of those muggle motion pictures. The laughter and tears of quality times with my parents and friends, and I treasure the good and the bad. I take a moment to think of how they all must be doing now in the aftermath of war. Hope springs forth that when they find I'm gone the loss does not hit them too hard.

A pang of regret blossoms in my heart. I should have told them something – anything – written them letters, or at least hinted that I was leaving, shouldn't I have? Or maybe let them think I died and have some closure instead of wondering where I disappeared to in the aftermath of the war. After some deliberation I come to the conclusion that, no, I could not have left without seeing them once more even if only for a few seconds.

My mind wanders to the moment I made the decision to chase after my older brother and I know if given the choice I would do it again. This is because despite having to leave everything for a chance at family. It is family- someone I can look up to and who will watch out for me. Reviewing everything that recently happened sets me firmly in my belief that the path I have chosen is the best one for me.

As my thoughts settle I come to awareness outside of my head. I find that my arms are wound tightly around my legs which have been drawn up to my chest. My head is resting sideways with my cheek cushioned by Francis upon my knees.

A strong calloused hand is stroking my back in a soothing motion: up… down… up… down. And the lilting baritone of that I come to recognize as Alden's voice washes over me. The story he is weaving of how he met Kadi is calming my nerves enough to realize that my emotional understanding has been reflected outwardly in my physical being. Tears are streaming down my face and I am either starting to hyperventilate or am calming down from having hyperventilated. Judging by how Alden is reacting I think it is the second.

Oh, how I wish to lean into the comfort Alden is providing and just let him soothe away all of my hurt. How is easy it would be to loose myself in his calming presence, but I know it must not be so. And as I calm down to a more acceptable pace of breathing and the waterfall of tears down my cheeks become a trickle as I retreat into the child I have become once more.

Keeping my eyes closed so I don't have to see the possible disappointment my actions will cause displayed on Alden's face, I still myself. I shy away from the hand that is giving me comfort. His hand pauses and then drops. Instantly I miss it.

I hear the rustle of linens as Alden sits down by my feet and the room is quiet with the absence of his voice. Opening my eyes once more as apparently I had closed them at some point during my …episode… I glance around. I notice Kadi hovering about 10 feet from my bed on the same side as Alden. I shrink back from her gaze. Her face portrays a mix of horror, pity, and worry. I can't stand the sight. Yes, I may be merging with my physical self and becoming more like the 9year old I portray, but my essence is still myself and I have not changed. My memories and actions are all my own. Honestly, as I think… Hermione… would say: "It is because you suppressed yourself. All of yourself has not fully developed in maturity and emotionally to age 16, some of it is at the ages you changed yourself due to bullying and trauma. With this new body you are feeling freer to fully express yourself and thus are resorting to how you naturally are. In short, you are able to find yourself"

Ok, maybe I have the words wrong, but I'm pretty positive that Hermione would say something along those lines. All though she would probably be quoting half a dozen people and throw in page numbers to boot!

I swing my gaze around to Alden and drop my eyes to the sheets seconds after I meet his eyes. His face has a carefully controlled neutral expression and I am not sure what to think of it.

The silence of the room is becoming oppressive and I want to break it… but it feels like that of a library, a silence that you just are not supposed to mess with. Instead of making noise I wiggle around a bit to get more comfortable. Relaxing my legs, I maneuver Francis to lay in the valley that is made between my legs and stomach/chest. I pull the thin sheet and crocheted blanket up under my chin and keep my head angled down. My tangled hair covers most of my face this way and gives me an idea of security… even if it has no practicality to it.

Once again I feel the need to shield Francis and thus why I have him hidden under the cocoon of blankets I have made. The silence in the room continues and I take the time to think up reasons to my aversion of having Francis seen. The best that I can come up with is that as he is my main comfort link to both my past (my mother made him) and my future (he is named after my brother who I am here to find) and I don't want to share him.

After several long minutes the silence that has fallen upon the room is broken.

"You doing ok kid?" Alden asks me. I nod my head just enough for both acknowledgement that he spoke to me and as an answer to his question. Otherwise I stay perfectly frozen.

"Now, now, don't be giving me the silent treatment again Luna" he gently scolds me, and at this I tilt my head up enough to peer up and meet his gaze. Alden cracks a smile and mutters something. I think he said progress; takes one step forward two steps back, but I'm not certain. My lips twitch a bit in a semblance of a smile and for a moment I don't think he can see it, but then his smile becomes a grin and I know he has.

I can't help but like Alden, he seems genuine and he doesn't do anything to startle or throw me off my game. I have the fleeting wish that he is my long lost brother, but I know that that is much too simple and life does not work that way. This is fine by me because although I like Alden, I am not too certain about his girlfriend Kadi, which with them I expect it's a package deal. Two for the price of one like the newts at the potion store, and I am not quite certain I can get over the pitying looks Kadi keeps sending my way. Alden, however, now if I get the chance I would love to count him among my friends.

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><p>3 June 2013<p> 


	6. Agent Mystery Man

A/N: Don't kill me! Here is an update on the story: please enjoy it, and I have a more extensive authors note at the bottom.

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><p><strong>New Life<strong>

**Chapter Six: Agent Mystery Man**

The door to the healing hall opened with a bang; and with it the tentative peace that had fallen over us had broken. It was disappointing to see it go.

A young man, not much older than Harry from my world, came barging into the room. He was shouting about something before he stopped to stare at me in abject fascination, but his voice was so shrill and unexpected that I was not able to catch any of it.

Kadi immediately snapped into action, clearing her throat to call the violet-eyed young man's attention away from myself and to her. I guess I may have been a bit too harsh on her so far, perhaps jealousy is taking root in me? I will have to examine this at a later time, it bears looking into.

It is interesting that such a reaction would be rising up in me from the perceived threat of loosing the full attention of Alden - at least that is my current working hypothesis. I have only had moments to come up with it, but I think it may be true: what else is there to explain my recent reactions?

A tenor voice breaks through my thoughts and I am drawn to the discussion at hand.

"Whose the kid?"

"Not your business, agent. State why you have invaded medical bay or get out. I don't have time for your shenanigans right now." Kadi responded with bite in her voice.

"Aww, Kadi-did, you wound me! It's just a harmless question…" the mystery man needles.

The rooms atmosphere suddenly plunges to frigid temperatures as Kadi responds to the mans latest words.

"I don't have time for this today. Any other day and I might - note I say might - entertain your foolishness. But not today. I have pressing matters to attend to so I suggest you get on with what you came for or get out. Now!" she states with all the authority she can muster.

My eyes must be the size of pumpkins by now. If I were this guy I would have run in the opposite direction a long time ago.

That thought I had earlier about me merging more completely with my body? Well, I don't think that any more testing is needed to have that proven fact… I am literally shaking where I sit on the bed. I am not logically afraid of what is going on, as neither Kadi's ire nor the mystery man's insolence is directed at me, but the energy in the room must be getting to me. I can't stop shaking.

As Kadi continues to berate the agent, my mind is slipping from reality, and trying to lapse into memories. I make futile attempts to center myself - I am trying to start up my meditation techniques to block them out. It is of no use, however, as their voices pierce any shields that I am able to throw up.

"Cut it out!" Alden says sternly, cleanly cutting off whatever Kadi was prattling on about now and stopping the agent from making any smart remarks.

"There is a little one present" he says more softly. Then, turning to me, he asks if I am ok.

I shrug my shoulders a bit, ducking my head towards my lap in the process. What else am I going to do? There is no way in Magic that I am going to jump into that conversation. And with an unknown? I think it better off if I go back to being silent. Besides, I've already said plenty and I don't want to slip up and say too much.

Heaving a large sigh, Alden directs his voice to the other adults present and tells them in all seriousness: "Thanks a lot guys, and I had just started getting vocal responses, too."

Then with a wink and patience filling his voice so as not to worry me he mutters "I guess its back to the guessing game."

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><p><strong>AN** Sorry sorry sorry times infinity for disappearing on everyone like that! It was not my intention, but one thing lead to another, RL took over, college got in the way, things happened, and, well, New Life had to take a seat on the back burner for a little bit. Now, you probably don't want to hear any promises from me seeing as I am pants at keeping them when it comes to writing this story apparently, so I won't write any down. However, please do know that this story is near and dear to my heart and it is my desire to see it finished some day. So, I will be working when I can to finish it and update, so don't loose complete hope in me yet folks! Speaking of, please please please review and PM me! I would love to have input on thoughts of where you think this story should be going and what you would like to see (this doesn't mean it will happen, but I take everything into consideration and it does help, believe me).

If you have stuck around all this time to read my story still, thank you so much. Your support means a lot to me, and I hope that you find satisfaction in my story. As always, constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged along with suggestions and comments. PLEASE REVIEW!

THANKS EVERYONE FOR READING AND STICKING WITH ME THROUGH MY LAPSES IN NOT UPDATING! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! :D

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><p>Posted &amp; Updated: 31 May 2014<p> 


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